Mourvedre Wine

An organic rosé cava, crafted with the Traditional Method and aged on lees for a minimum of 35 months. A gentle skin maceration gives the wine its delicate color. Bearing the seal of Elaborador Integral (Integral Producer), it is made from vines rooted in ‘sauló’, a sandy granitic soil, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Mataró is the most genuine variety in Alella and it is also the name of the Capital of the Maresme area

“A return to the origins with the first grape variety used for cava” – Pujol-Busquets family

ART LAIETÀ D’ALTA ALELLA
Cava type: Brut Nature / Organic vintage cava
Integral Producer: 100% produced on the winery’s property
Grape varieties: Mataró (mourvèdre)
Zone of Origin: Comtats de Barcelona – Serra de Mar

It's a fantastic sparkling wine that truly highlights the quality and potential of Spanish Cava when made from a specific vineyard (single-estate) and with a focus on organic, natural production.

Winemaker Description

Before you wonder what Lebanon has to do with wine, just consider that it has been producing wine for perhaps millennia more than any other part of the world.

A deep ruby colored wine, Chateau Kefraya Comte de M 2018 is clear and brilliant with garnet-colored reflections.The first nose is remarkably powerful and emphasized by its volume and elegance.

The wine is an harmonious blend of fresh red fruits, spicy and floral notes, as well as woody, roasted and toasted notes. The second nose reveals notes of cigar box, menthol, licorice, spices and garrigue through a palette of ripe and slightly candied red fruits.

Expert Review

Yohan Castaing of the Wine Advociate writes 90 Points | A blend of 41% Grenache, 31% Cinsault, 12% Mourvèdre, 8% Tibouren, 5% Syrah and 3% Carignan, the 2022 Cotes de Provence Rose Lampe de Meduse possesses a fresh, fruit-driven bouquet with aromas of citrus, lemon oil, red berries, wild strawberry and menthol. Crunchy, juicy and perfectly balanced with a medium-bodied palate, it’s long and penetrating with lively acids, an iodine-salty finish and a clean and mouthwatering texture.  Drinking 2023 - 2025. (2022).

Winemaker Description

Château Sainte Roseline, Lampe de Méduse, with its unique shape, is the iconic and historic cuvée of the estate. Since 1950, it has been the heart of the production of this famous Cru Classé vineyard.

Famous as a historic site but also for its premium Rosés, Château Sainte Roseline is a Provence icon.

Its pale color is slightly salmony. The complex and intense nose reveals fine notes of peaches and mangos. The beautiful liveliness and persistence of the aromatic notes at the end of the palate make this a very crunchy wine. A minty finish sublimates its beautiful freshness.

Expert Reviews

Billy Norris of Vinous writes | The 2023 Rosé Lampe de Meduse is dark and alluring on the nose, displaying watermelon, red berry fruit and orange peel aromas. Rounded and honeyed on the palate, there's just enough acidity to propel this past the finish line. Rosemary and thyme hints hang around after the close, kicking this wine more into the savory spectrum than I expected. This is interesting and characterful.  Drinking 2024 - 2025.

Jancis Robinson writes 16 Points | Drier and more substantial than their Prestige 2023 bottling. Lots of fruit with a (just) sufficiently dry finish. Some intrigue. 

August 2025, Dinners:  This is just a terrific wine.  We drank this wine with burgers, roast chicken, hanger steaks and it just worked so well.  50% Grenache and 50% Syrah, the wine fills your mouth with black fruit and cherry-like flavors and does it all in a gentle way.  Finishes absolutely clean, fresh and mouthwatering.  Everyone of our friends enjoyed drinking it.  -  Bernie & Dorothy, Paulo & Barbara, and Annie - Follow the Drinker®

Expert Review - Vintage 2022 

Wine Spectator 89 Points | Gentleness and ripeness are rendered in a lovely way in this version, which offers dusty earth and chalky mineral hints. Shows real depth, with black pepper, pretty lavender and simmering incense notes in the backdrop, anchored by a foundation of iron. Drink now through 2028. 10,000 cases made, 2,500 cases imported. 

Winemaker Description 

Ruby red, nicely bright. Fresh cherry and blackberry nose, notes of cracked pepper. Dark berry and touches of anise flavors, the quality of winemaking is evident. Touches of sweet cherries and raspberry on the palate.  A Parisian brasserie favorite.

Winemaker Description 

The nose is fruity with aromas of ripe cherries and spices. This wine is medium-bodied with lively acidity and silky tannins.

50% Grenache, 50% Syrah

Winemaker Description 

The wine has a pale-peach colour, with silver highlights that gives it shininess. The nose is complex and rich, with a present bitterness that brings depth. Notes of pear drops offer a mixture of fruity and floral scents. The attack is fresh and aromatic, marked by aromas of pomegranate and raspberries bringing a delicate freshness and a slight acidity. The bitterness at the end of the mouth gives a beautiful length, giving the wine great structure. The wine is round and well balanced.

Despite climatic challenges throughout the year requiring constant vigilance and considerable work in the vineyard, the 2024 vintage looks very promising. The harvest began on August 2nd, and the last grapes were picked on October 3rd. Each vineyard was harvested at perfect maturity, with grapes that were both balanced and expressive. The work in the vineyards was demanding, but the efforts made should result in wines of high quality.

The first tastings reveal wines with a very good balance, combining fruitiness, tension and finesse. With optimal phenolic maturity, supported by good acidity, they also reveal great freshness and a beautiful structure. Promising qualities for this 2024 vintage which should stand out for its aromatic richness and its aging capacity.
There are 2 types of soils at Le Grand Prébois, stone, clay and limestone on one side and gravel and clay on the other.

The grapes are harvested early in the morning to benefit from the freshness of the night. The proximity of the vines to the Grand Prébois cellars allows the grapes to be pressed straight after picking. After pressing, the juices are cold settled in order to remove suspended particles. The alcoholic fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks and lasts about 15 days, the temperatures are regulated between 14 and 16 ° C. The wines are then racked and aged in stainless steel tanks until bottling.

Varietals | Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah

Memo Pairing Suggestions

Pairing Suggestions

    •    Light Foods: A wonderful apéritif. 
    •    Mediterranean Dishes: Excellent with grilled fish, seafood, and vegetable tarts.
    •    
Salads: Pairs well with a fresh melon salad, feta, and quinoa. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2020

Michael Alberty of The Wine Enhusiast writes 94 Points | Caffè latte, cranberry and lilac aromas make for a heck of an introduction. Then comes the wave of blackberry, rosemary, tarragon and English breakfast tea flavors—delicious. This wine features the sturdiest tannins this side of a tannery, so be prepared to offer it a little air. Enjoy now until 2034. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2020

The Wine Advocate by Joe Czerwinsk 89-91 Points | Tasted as a hypothetical blend taken from several foudres, the 2020 Bandol should be about 70% Mourvèdre and 25% Grenache, with the balance a mix of Carignan and Cinsault. At this stage, it comes across as a bit stern and ungenerous, despite ample ripe notes of black cherries and dark chocolate. It's full-bodied, finishing with a hefty dose of dusty tannins. 

Winemaker Description 

Provence, France. Organic. Mourvèdre, Grenache, Cinsualt, Syrah, Carignan. Gives up classic leather, garrigue, underbrush and sweet black raspberry notes on the nose. Medium-bodied, supple, sexy and with fine tannin, it’s a forward, ready to go beauty to drink over the coming 5-7 years. 

Winemaker Description

This new bottling is from a vineyard site on old, deep volcanic soils and an elevation of 2900’. Tightly spaced, head trained vines planted on an old apple orchard just east of Placerville. Whole cluster fermented and aged in a combination of puncheons and tanks. Bottled unfined and unfiltered with a mere 20ppm of sulfites.

The aromatic character of this wine shows what are, for me, classic El Dorado County Mourvèdre plum & citrus peel aromas. There’s a note of freshly tilled soil in there as well, common from these volcanic soils. Plum skin flavors, savory, thyme, mushroom and a bright acidity.  Everything wraps up in a long finish with fine tannins. Suitable for a wide variety of meals.

Winemaker Description

Bright, ruby-red color. The nose is very expressive with notes of wild strawberry, cherry and Mediterranean herbs.

On the palate, the wine is beautifully supple. Tannins are silky and the tasty finish reveals notes of black pepper, red fruits and a hint of eucalyptus.

Expert Review -Vintage 2020

Jeb Dunnuck writes:  Moving to the reds, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape is one of the riper, broader, sexier wines in the vintage. Blackberries, roasted herbs, cured meats, chocolate, and Provençal garrigue all define the aromatics, and it’s full-bodied on the palate, with a powerful yet balanced style. Classic cuvées don’t get much better than this in 2020. It will keep for 10-15 years. The blend is 70% Grenache and 30% Mourvedre, brought up all in concrete.  Drinking 2022 to 2037.  - Jeb Dunnuck 93

Kristen Bieler writes:  Plum sauce and cassis reveal earthy, leafy dimension that brings savory freshness to this full-throttle red, which is formidable in structure and frame, with bolts of iron, black tea and persistent yet refined tannins taking this over the finish line. Long and powerful, with smokiness weaving through. Grenache and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2035.   - Wine Spectator 94

Nicolas Greinacher writes:  A delicious blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Mourvèdre composes the 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It soars from the glass with fragrant aromas of crushed violets, raspberry, wild strawberry, blueberry, licorice and mint. Full-bodied and layered, it's polished and refined, with a juicy core of fruit and good persistence on the bright finish.  Drinking 2024 to 2038.  - Vinous 92

James Suckling writes:  Wild berries, tar, dried herbs and cloves on the nose follow through to a medium to full body with firm tannins. Structured and focused with a crisp core of berries leading to the chewy and salivating finish. From organically grown grapes. Unfiltered. Drink or hold.  - James Suckling 92

Matt Walls writes:  Broad and full on the palate. Concentrated but not heavy, the alcohol slightly warming. It suits the traditional style, however, and this wine provides plenty of bang for buck in a traditional style. It’s lush and generous. Produced with destemmed fruit, and fermented and aged in concrete.  Drinking 2024 to 2030.  - Decanter 92

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2020

Josh Raynolds of Vinous writes 92 Points | Bright ruby. Displays ripe, spice-accented cherry and dark berries, along with hints of succulent herbs and spices. Juicy and expansive in style, offering well-concentrated red and blue fruit flavors and a touch of cracked pepper. Creamy tannins sneak in late and add a gentle grip to a long, spice- and floral-driven finish. All de-stemmed fruit and raised in concrete tanks.

Jeb Dunnuck writes 92 Points |  Not yet bottled, the 2020 Gigondas offers more dark fruits as well as masculine notes of ground pepper, crushed stone, and sappy garrigue. Medium to full-bodied and nicely structured, it’s another rock-solid wine from this estate. The blend is 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah, destemmed, and aged in concrete tank.

Jancis Robinson 16 Points, James Lawther MW writes:  Fruit bright and lifted on the nose. Supple and round on the palate. Firm, chalky tannins. Clean and fresh on the finish with some persistence.  55% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre. Organic.  Drinking 2022 to 2028.

Producer Description 

Intense, brilliant garnet color. On the nose, aromas of garrigue develop alongside spices and black fruits. Fleshy and dense palate, with notes of jam, ripe fruit, and spices.

The Domain: The history of Mas des Restanques began in 1995 with the union of our two family lands. After several years in a cooperative cellar, we took the plunge, created our own cellar, and released our 1st vintage in 2007.

We began orienting the domain towards Organic agriculture in 2009 and were certified by "Ecocert" in 2012. In 2019, our son Philippe joined us on the estate to continue the tradition while bringing new perspectives to the business. As a family, we put all our efforts into vine cultivation in order to offer consumers the best grape sources. Then, the low yields on clay soils limestone, thoughtful work of the harvest, and the development of our wines bring to our cuvées character, strength, and balance.

Expert Review - Vintage 2021

Kristin Bieler of the Wine Spectator 91 Points |  Shows good concentration for the 2021 vintage, with red plum and licorice on a foundation of graphite. A thread of singed herbs weaves through the pleasantly just-chewy palate. Savory, smoky and long, with toasty cedar adding warmth to the savory, smoky, long finish, which brings a firming feel. Grenache and Syrah. Drink now through 2035.

Winemaker Description 

The old vines of Domaine Grand Romane are located on the highest part of the family vineyard, 400 m above sea level. Facing northwest, these hillsides dominated by upper Cretaceous sandstone limestone and sandy marl, offer power and concentration. 

On the nose there are aromas of black fruit (blackcurrant and black cherry) and red fruits (raspberry and redcurrant) stewed with a hint of vanilla which meet savory notes of thyme, laurel and black olives on the palate. Powerful tannins fill the mouth with notes of spicy licorice and pepper for a long and satisfying finish. An astonishing balance of complexity, power and elegance. 

Wine Enthusiast 90 Points | This is a widely available, nonvintage blend of 54% Syrah, 15% Petite Syrah, 14% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre and 7% Zinfandel. Aromas of cara-melized black fruit, oak and black pepper lead into an extremely rich palate that's loaded with vanilla, caramel, fudge and black cherry.